1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sport equipment storage racks and, more particularly to a wall mountable sport equipment rack usable for conveniently organizing and storing a plurality of hockey related spots equipment such as, for examples, hockey sticks, hockey pucks, ice skates, hockey related sport garments, and the like.
Sports equipment storage racks for hockey sticks and other types of equipment related to the hockey sport are known in the art and are useful for storing, organizing, and/or displaying hockey related sport equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A first common type or hockey equipment rack of the prior art is generally represented by a wall mountable rack structure having a rear portion that is usually fixed to a vertically oriented support member, such as a wall or column. The rack structure is generally provided with shelves means and/or a plurality of support means that allows a user to support or otherwise releasably mount thereon portions of hockey related sport equipment such as hockey sticks, hockey pucks, hockey skates, hockey related sport garments and the like.
Another type of hockey equipment rack of the prior art is generally represented by a bucket-like member standing upright on a floor, or by a vertically oriented sleeve-like member fixed to a wall portion, and which allows a user to store one or more hockey sticks by simply inserting the shaft of an inverted hockey stick through the upper open end of the member.
Typical examples of the prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 7,441,669 to Dalbey, U.S. Design Pat. No. D579252 to Savoie, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0121403 to Stubbs, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,717 to Liesinger. The Dalbey device describes a wall-mounted hockey stick rack with a plurality of aligned stick supports and an enlarged structure. The Savoie device provides a design for a structure having aligned apertures and insert locations for aligned hockey sticks along a wall surface. The Stubbs disclosure provides a wall mounted structure having an open interior for insertion of sticks therein, wherein the sticks are supported in a tilting fashion in one general location. Finally, the Liesinger device comprises a structure having a plurality of tubular object hanger supports aligned along a holder plate.
While these prior art hockey equipment racks generally offer a rack for storing and organizing hockey sticks, hockey skates, hockey pucks, and/or other hockey sport-related equipment, they also entail one or more of the following disadvantages: the rack-style structures having a rear portion attachable to a wall usually occupy a substantial amount of wall surface, while the bucket type rack does not necessarily store hockey sticks in a secure and organized way. Some of the prior art hockey equipment racks generally represent relatively complex structures that are not necessarily simple and economical to manufacture and sell on the market.
Against this background. there exists a need for a new and improved hockey equipment rack that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages. It is submitted that the present invention provides a substantially divergent support structure for hockey equipment, wherein the design elements of the present invention differ substantially from that of the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing hockey equipment support rack devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.